The Real Estate Development program is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of finance and investment, project management, predevelopment analysis, zoning and planning, acquisition underwriting, and the value of design in real estate practices. In recent years, the program has greatly expanded its emphasis on financial investment and strengthened its relevancy in terms of real estate markets, introducing a new real estate technology sequence to the curriculum and increasing the availability of technology resources for research. The curriculum builds its foundational knowledge incrementally over the three terms: the first semester is dedicated to developing solid, core competencies and the majority of classes are required; the second, grants more space to focus on the development of specific industry interests; and the third consists mostly of deep-dive electives offered across GSAPP, Columbia Business School, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, and Columbia Law School. The program culminates in a final Capstone project.
The program’s Capstone class begins with initial group work as students learn about five different active real estate case-study sites, and ends with individual Capstone projects. Students must create their own personalized Capstone “deal-book” (with all the relevant financial information, design proposals, and market analysis data), as well as deliver a presentation and defend their project to an audience of peers, alumni, and faculty.
The Master of Science in Real Estate Development curriculum is bolstered by its proximity to the city and to the real-world opportunities that it offers: Professionals from the real-estate industry in New York City visit campus daily as adjunct professors, alumni mentors, and lunchbox lecture speakers. Approximately a third of individuals in the program complete a part-time spring internship to gain additional work experience in NYC.
For more information on the program, please email realestate@arch.columbia.edu or call (212) 854-3524
For more information about Career Services, Industry Outreach & Placement, please email Rebecca Andersen Polimeda.
Intensive Summer Semester
The introduction to the program begins with immersion in real estate finance, construction technology, market analytics, and other foundational subjects. Electives are limited to allow students with diverse background experiences to build essential financial, graphic, and analytical competencies.
Expansive Fall Semester
While core skills continue to be developed—particularly in finance, history of development, and real estate law—students are given significant elective opportunities to broaden their theoretical and applied skill sets by concentrating on the unique finance or design course tracks available only at Columbia.
Integrated Spring Semester
With a central focus on capstone projects, complex financial and economic modeling, and public policy, students bring together a cross-disciplinary portfolio of independent and supervised research and coursework, graduating with a holistic professional foundation.
Course | Semester | Title | Student Work | Instructor | Syllabus | Requirements & Sequence | Location & Time | Session & Points | Call No. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pla4312‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Real Estate Finance II: Case Studies
|
Chris Munsell |
113 AVERY
TH 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
|
3 Points
|
11241 | |||
PLA4326‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Real Estate Concepts Tutorial II
|
Eric Andersen |
113 AVERY
W 7 PM - 8:30 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11242 | |||
PLA4539‑1 | Fall 2024 |
The Development Process II
|
Cecily King |
113 AVERY
TH 11 AM- 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
11244 | |||
PLA4543 | Fall 2024 |
Development Process Lab
|
Aaron Zeligs | REQUIRED |
113 AVERY
|
0 Points
|
18059 | ||
Pla6050‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Internship
|
Rebecca Andersen Polimeda |
NA
|
FULL SEMESTER
1.5 Points
|
11245 | |||
Pla6252‑1 | Fall 2024 |
ARCHITECT AND DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUES
|
Raquel Ramati |
209 FAYERWEATHER
TU 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11246 | |||
Pla6259‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Capital Markets : REIT Analysis
|
David Kruth |
113 AVERY HALL
W11 AM - 1 PM
|
3 Points
|
11247 | |||
Pla6265‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Underwriting
|
Chris Munsell |
113 AVERY
TH 4 PM - 6 PM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11249 | |||
Pla6281‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Hotel Development and Investment Analysis
|
Adam Feil |
209 FAYERWEATHER
F 9 AM -11 AM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11251 | |||
Pla6377‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Funds Management and Capital Raising
|
Michael Clark, Marc Weidner |
113 AVERY
TU 4 PM - 6 PM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11252 | |||
Pla6378‑1 | Fall 2024 |
THE ART OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL
|
Brian Loughlin |
114 AVERY
F 9 AM - 11 AM
|
3 Points
|
11284 | |||
Pla6568‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Public-Private Partnerships in Real Estate Development
|
Mehul Patel |
209 FAYERWEATHER
M 6:30 PM -8:30 PM
|
SES B
1.5 PTS Points
|
11255 | |||
Pla6603‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Lease Analysis & Financial Metrics
|
Sara Queen |
113 AVERY
TU 6:30 PM -8:30 PM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11257 | |||
PLA6721‑1 | Fall 2024 |
DESIGN BY DEVELOPMENT: POSSIBILITIES OF FORM
|
Eran Chen |
209 FAYERWEATHER
M 9 AM - 11 AM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11258 | |||
PLA6798‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Legal Principles of Real Estate
|
Mitchell Nelson |
113 AVERY
W 9 AM - 11 AM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11259 | |||
Pla6840‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Real Estate Valuation & Investment Analysis
|
Jake Pesci |
113 AVERY
TU 9 AM - 11AM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11263 | |||
PLA6847‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Proptech: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
|
Zachary Aarons |
209 FAYERWEATHER
M 11 AM - 1 PM
|
SES A
1.5 Points
|
11264 | |||
PLA6892‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Design by Development: Underwriting and Analysis
|
Alex Barrett |
209 FAYERWEATHER
TU 4 PM - 6 PM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11269 | |||
PLA6897‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Securitized Commercial Real Estate Debt
|
Shaishav Agarwal |
113 AVERY
TH 9 AM - 11 AM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11277 | |||
PLA6906‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Financing Community Change
|
Cecily King |
113 AVERY
TH 1:30 - 3:30PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14268 | |||
Pla6908‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Distressed Real Estate Investment and Asset Management
|
Jay Yang |
203 FAYERWEATHER
W 4PM-6PM
|
SES B
1.5 Points
|
11288 | |||
Pla6330 | Fall 2024 |
Site Planning & Support Systems
|
Graham Trelstad |
412 AVERY
TH 5 PM - 7 PM
|
3 Points
|
10879 | |||
A6965‑1 | Fall 2024 |
ADV V STUDIO – CLINIC
|
Bryony Roberts |
TH 2 PM - 5 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10536 | |||
A4892‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Data Visualization for Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities
|
Jia Zhang |
409 AVERY
F 9 AM - 11 AM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10576 | |||
A4047‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Immeasurable Sites
|
Emanuel Admassu |
408 AVERY
W 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10596 | |||
A6830‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Difference and Design
|
Justin Moore |
412 AVERY / ONLINE
TU 3 PM - 5 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14028 | |||
A6927‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Science + Technology Studies
|
Albena Yaneva |
412 AVERY
M 11 AM - 1PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10533 | |||
A6929‑1 | Fall 2024 |
The Reimagining of Lower Manhattan Post-Sandy
|
Michael Kimmelman |
408 AVERY
W 9 AM - 11 AM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10534 | |||
Pla4444‑1 | Fall 2024 |
The Future City: Transforming Urban Infrastructure
|
Kate Ascher |
113 AVERY
TU 1 PM - 3 PM
|
3 Points
|
14136 | |||
A6814‑1 | Fall 2024 |
New Towns After Smart Cities
|
David Smiley |
412 AVERY
TU 1 PM - 3 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
14029 | |||
Pla6272‑1 | Fall 2024 |
New York Rising: How Real Estate Shapes a City
|
Kate Ascher |
114 AVERY
F 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
10530 | |||
ARCHA6966‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Le Corbusier Beyond Europe
|
Mary McLeod |
409 Avery
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
18002 | |||
ARCHA6967‑1 | Fall 2024 |
Cities of Knowledge: Orientalizing Manhattan
|
Ziad Jamaleddine |
934 SCHERMERHORN
TU 2:10 PM - 4 PM
|
FULL SEMESTER
3 Points
|
18102 |